The Doctor's Return
by UltraJoe
Summary: A classic fanfic that seems more appropriate now. Originally uploaded to CompuServe's Science Fiction & Fantasy Forum by the author (me), I now share it with the droves here as it was originally presented.
1. Devastator Fleet

The Doctor's Return

Chapter I

Devastator Fleet 

Mares 6 ... described by celestial poets as the "jewel in God's crown." Indeed, it is a beautiful planet. The air has been known to smell as fragrant as a warm spring day on Earth ... during Mares 6's winter. The planet was warmed during the day by the red star-sun about which it orbited, during the night by natural warm springs which emerged at various places in the surface of the planet.

The Yelvinda, the dominant species of Mares 6, were equally high-praised by poet-laureats and galactic tourist bureau writers alike. Considered to be the most hospitable people in the known universe, the Yelvinda would eagerly welcome any visitor to their planet. Of course both the poet-laureats and galactic tourist bureau writers would also remind the eager traveller of another side to the average Yelvind. The Yelvinda are also the galaxy's fiercest warrior race. Their recorded history shows the population fighting off and/or destroying, on separate occasions, invasion fleets of the universe's most feared races, including fleets from Skaro, Movella, and Telos. Such reminders were always enough to keep even the tourist with the most violent temper under control for the duration of his holiday on the paradise planet. With that in mind such a visitor would force him/her/itself to kick back, relax, and enjoy the hospitality.

On a typical day the flight control building located near the top of the highest peak on Mares 6 was bustling with activity. The emperor of the planet had decreed that no ship requesting passage should be turned away unless hostile intents were absolutely clear, although races notorious for violence were closely watched. There would be the occasional squabble, the rare occurrence of violence, but a "gentle" reminder by Yelvind security officers would be enough to stop the outbreak; indeed the very thought of being incapacitated for 3 Earth weeks would usually suffice.

Arkter, the chief flight controller on duty, noticed something odd about a recent request to land. The being had requested an entrance corridor authorization for six ships - he and several "friends" wished to land and take advantage of the delights of the planet. Arkter had not been around when Mares 6 was the center of invasion attempts - indeed the last recorded invasion was so far in the past that the only Yelvind who could still remember it was the Emperor herself. Arkter had been fascinated, however, by the recorded invasions. In his younger days he had eagerly listened to recordings of the conversations between the invasion fleet and Mares ground forces prior to the elimination of the invaders. Something about the one who was requesting to land struck a familiar note to him, making him think back to the last tape he had listened to. He quickly dismissed the thought; he had heard so many voices from so many different travellers from so many different parts of the galaxy that it could easily have been one he had heard last week. He cleared the ships for landing, giving them the familiar "Welcome to Eden" greeting (it seems that, in the history of the Yelvind, there was mention of a garden that so closely resembled Terran descriptions of Eden that the name Eden was chosen by the Yelvind as the popular name of their planet, just as Earth was the popular name for Sol 3).

"Meranda, take over for me. I wish to greet this set of tourists myself," Arkter said to his wife and team-mate as he walked toward the access elevator door.

"Something isn't wrong, is it?"

"It's probably just my imagination, but I'm curious. Besides, I haven't been part of the welcome party since I started here." With that, the elevator door slid closed. Meranda watched the indicator show the car's descent to landing bay level, then picked up her husband's task as if she had started it.

Arkter's elevator car arrived at the "ground floor" (a misnomer ... ships would land at the center of the peak, be parked nearby, and the occupants of the ships driven via hovercraft down the mountainside to the inviting meadows at the foot of the peak) just as the last of the six starships were landing. Once again Arkter felt a tingle run down his spine ... these ships seemed familiar somehow. They weren't patterned identically to each other; in fact, they looked more like three pairs of ships from three greater fleets. The sides of each ship had something in common, however, in that weapondry were apparant on each. The contingent of joyous Yelvinda stood at a central point, ready to greet the passengers and crew of each ship as they disembarked. Arkter joined them hesitantly. What was so familiar about these vessels?

Up in the control room, Meranda served her husband's duties well, yet she repeatedly glanced over to a monitor focused on the welcoming committee which her husband had joined. She always loved to watch the expressions on the visitors' faces when the party began their welcome song; she always drank in the overwhelming joy that shown on each face as the lilting melodies wafted across the landing bay. She watched as one ship lowered its exit ramp. Down it came one lone figure, a huge humanoid whose head was covered by a wide, hemispherical helmet which gave the appearance of the humanoid having no neck whatsoever. Halfway down the ramp the humanoid raised his massive arm.

Down below Arkter also witnessed the giant stride down the ramp. Once again recognition flickered in his mind. Where have I seen this creature before? he heard himself think. At the raising of his arm two events occurred. The first was recognition at last. The second was the levelling of each ship's weapons at the small crowd of Yelvinda.

"Run! They will shoot us down. They are the invaders of old," Arkter shouted. At that the Sontaran dropped his arm, signalling each ship to fire upon the welcome party.

Meranda could almost hear her husband's death screams. In shock for only a matter of moments, she lunged at the "Alert" control, unused for so many years. As the other Yelvinda reacted to the alert signals, the other five ships lowered their ramps. From the two Sontaran ships came several dozen warriors, hand guns firing at the panicking tourists who were still in the bay. From two other ships came other obviously hostile beings. These also had the two arms and two legs, but they were smaller than their allies. These humanoids were covered in silver-like metal and plastic, their chest units rasping as they worked. From the final two ships rolled squat "salt shaker" machines, eye-stalks sweeping the carnage they and their compatriots were creating.

The alert spread over the entire planet of Eden, but it reached out even farther, to a planet protected by an ancient force field. This was Gallifrey, home planet of the Time Lords. The signal was received by a young Time Lord serving the branch of Time Lord activity known as the Celestial Intervention Agency. Decoding the incoming data, he summoned the high official of the Agency, who appeared almost immediately by his side.

"Mares 6, giving a distress signal?" the commanding official asked. "Give me the details!"

The young communications officer finished decoding the message and showed it to his senior. Each time he looked at his Colonel, he would marvel at the grace shown to the Colonel during his past two regenerations. He hoped his first one would go equally as well. "What do you make of the descriptions, sir?"

Although he wasn't surprised his subordinate didn't recognize the tell-tale characteristics, he was too familiar with the descriptions of the Sontarans, the Cybermen, and the Daleks. He has studied his late wife's former companion too well to miss them. "Put all available personnel on alert. I must see the President!"

Colonel Andred found President Trinian taking a tour of the Time Lord Hall of History. Quickly walking past statues of Omega and Rassilon, he entered the special exibit room which housed, among other items, a long colorful scarf, a SIDRAT confiscated from the War Lords, and a mock-up of a sonic screwdriver.

"President Trinian, an urgent message from Mares 6. They're in trouble, sir!"

"What?" The President was quickly broken from his reverie by the statement. He himself had been involved in observing the last recorded Sontaran invasion of Mares 6, as well as invasions by the Cybermen and Daleks. The news of the current team of invaders disturbed him all the more. They both hurried themselves out of the exibit and the Hall, moving toward the chambers of the High Council. "Which of your squad would be best suited to lend a hand, Andred?"

"None of my people have the experience against those three. You know that there has only been one Time Lord who has bested each of those three races."

"Yes," President Trinian quietly responded, "but we don't dare call on him again. When he came to Gallifrey for the last time..."

"I know, sir," Andred interrupted, "but the situation warrants drastic measures. The report says that, despite the reputation of the Yelvind people, even they cannot overcome the menace. We've got to contact him."  
President Trinian stopped, thought for a moment, then turned toward Andred. "You know he won't want to get involved."

"I suspect this will change his mind," Andred replied, waving the report. "Remember, I met him once. I think I remember enough about him to be able to convince him to come with me ... especially if I travel to him in a ... certain vehicle."

Reluctant, but seeing no other choice, Trinian nods his agreement. "Ever since his retirement, he's been spending his time on ..."

"I know, sir. You can count on me," Andred shouted as he raced down the hallway. There was much preparation to be made, and undoubtedly so little time in which to do it. As he passed the communications post, the young officer harked his commanding officer to him. "Another communication, sir ... the invasion forces have completely taken over Mares 6. The Yelvinda were overwhelmed!"

Andred gave the young Time Lord a pat on the shoulder and resumed his trot down the hall.

Next month: Chapter II  
Confrontation 

Story (c) 1986 Joe Sewell  
Melbourne, FL 

Doctor Who and related material (c) 1986 BBC England 


	2. Confrontation

The Doctor's Return

Chapter II

Confrontation 

No one who has experienced it needs to be told just how pleasant spring in Washington, DC can be. Flowers blossom everywhere, and the cherry blossoms are nationally famous. Many couples and families breathe in the fresh aromas that meet their noses. One particular couple, visiting from England, were no exception, although some in-the-know types might believe otherwise. After all, they had seen infinite wonders of the universe, but had never gotten to know the planet which they now called home.

The man and woman both looked relatively young, by all appearances no older than mid-30's. The children to whom the gentleman told stories each weekend believe this also; after all, his claim to be over 1000 years old simply wasn't possible for anyone born on Earth. The fellow, however, simply denied that he WAS born on Earth ... that, despite the fact that he now owns and operates a junkyard at 76 Totters Lane, he was indeed from another planet.

The children would laugh wildly at this, and beg for one of his many stories about big silver giants and living salt-shakers who were once mutants. They would always be treated to one of his stories, followed by one from his lovely wife about freeing lion-faced slaves in another universe. The children enjoyed the fact that the stories seemed so real.

And, indeed, they were real!

This is the Time Lord once considered to be the best "renegade" in all of Gallifreyan history, the man who prefered to be called "Doctor." His exploits throughout time and space have been well chronicled elsewhere. None would have thought at the time that he would ever retire from his "wandering adventurer" role, especially the Doctor himself. Nonetheless his last adventure, which cost him no less than two of his last three regenerations but regained instead his beloved Time Lady, convinced him that it was time to ease off, to "settle down," as it were, with the one whom he treasured more than any other companion he had ever had. In this, his eleventh incarnation, he was tall and mildly stocky, with dark wavy hair and an infectous smile, the "perfect body," he had said after first seeing it.

The Doctor looked from the blossoms to his bride. Romana had always been in better control of her regenerations than he had been; it was to this that he attributed his current appearance, since it was a substance in her blood, passed on to him by transfusion during that last escapade, that permitted both of them now to dictate what they would look like. She was as beautiful as she had become after her first regeneration; indeed, she had consistently chosen to resemble Princess Astra of Atrios, which suited her husband. She kept the long blonde hair, the short but well-rounded figure, and (best of all to the Doctor) that infectous smile of her own. The two were all smiles now as they strolled, hand in hand, down the walk. In all their travels they had never fully explored the Earth; now they were determined to enjoy its full beauty.

Romana inhaled heavily, let the breath out with a sigh, and commented, "My, it smells heavenly here"

"A simple reaction of the pollen with the olefactory sensors in your nose, my dear," the Doctor replied. Romana promptly gives the eternal scientist a shove on the shoulder and runs ahead of him, the skirt of her yellow sundress flowing behind her, her laughter wafting in the air. The Doctor, in slacks and polo shirt, smiles even wider (that smile that, whenever he flashes it, makes her almost see the mop of curls and infinitely-long scarf she remembered so well) and gives chase. After a quick lovers' game of hide-and-seek, the two sit down at a park bench, mildly tired but still energetic. They look into each others' eyes lovingly.

The romantic interlude was broken by a sound. It was faint, but grew slightly louder each time it occurred. The other couples remarked about hearing some strange noise, but chalked it up to a car screeching its brakes far off. To the two ex-Time Lords, however, the sound, though barely audible,

was unmistakeable. Both of them had heard that familiar grinding / wheezing sound too often to think it anything other than the sound of a Gallifreyan vehicle materializing. They quickly conferred, decided that the sound came from somewhere in the wooded park nearby, and entered the trees.

"Honors to you both, champions of Gallifrey, and greetings, old friends" the Celestial Intervention Agency colonel said on their arrival.

The Doctor was the first to recognize the Time Lord. "Romana, it's Andred! How goes the intervention business nowadays, old fellow"

"Exciting, as always." The three exchanges handshakes, friendly embraces, and idle chit-chat for a short time, until Romana noted Andred's slightly somber mood.

"Yes, I'm afraid this is indeed a business trip." He sensed what the Doctor was about to say, so he cut him off with his reply. "I realize, Doctor, we promised to leave you and Lady Romana alone when you moved to Earth. Were the situation less critical I would gladly send my own men into the frey. Unfortunately current events won't let me ask for anything but the best." Andred wasn't sure exactly how the Doctor would respond to such flattery anymore; he remembered his wife Leela telling him how receptive her former companion would become when flattered. Since not everything about a Time Lord's personality changes with regeneration, the Doctor responded as Andred had hoped.

The next quarter of an hour was spent relaying to the Doctor and Romana the events of the past day. Andred told them of the invasion of Mares 6, and of the reports of the union of three of the deadliest races in the universe.

"Doctor, we ought to do something"

"Yes, Romana ... but what"

"I know you'll think of something." The Doctor was as sure of that as he had ever been ... not quite confident at the time, but eager to dive into it anyhow.

"I suppose it will be nice to travel in one of the newer model TARDISes, Andred," the Doctor remarked as the trio of Time Lords walked in the direction of the colonel's transportation. "I almost wish ... I almost wish I had kept the old girl around, though"

"I think you might be pleasantly surprised, then," answered Andred as the three stopped at the top of a small hill. At the bottom sat a blue box. The Doctor's heart lept for joy as he shot down the hill, Romana and Andred trying their best to keep up. They found the Doctor at the bottom, eyes wide and smile wider than his wife had thought possible, even during his fourth regeneration. She knew what was going on, though: her husband was having a tender reunion with yet another friend. The Doctor walked around the police box, noticing the scars that still remained on its exterior, almost remembering exactly what incident caused what bruise. Andred produced a familiar key and handed it to the Doctor. "I think you should do the honors." The Doctor took the key and, almost reverently, inserted it into the lock and turned. The door opened, and the Doctor, forgetting all rules of courtesy, jumped into the TARDIS, followed by Andred and Romana.

"It's amazing, Andred," the Doctor finally said. "How in the name of Rassilon did you ever get the old girl working again"

"No difficult feat, Doctor. Since your victory over the Hadon empire that made you the hero you are," Andred paused, noticing a slight blush on the Doctor's face, then continued with, "we've kept your old capsule in the Museum. I left orders to keep it fully functional, as a tribute to you and Lady Romana. Of course, we never have gotten around to fixing the chameleon circuit, and the navigation is still a little iffy, but... "

"Well, what are we waiting for?" the Doctor interrupted. Without waiting for an answer he operated the control to close the doors, and began setting coordinates on the console as though he had never left it.

Romana knew her husband was probably regressing to his old loveable personality traits, but she decided to try and set the old boy straight anyhow. "Darling, shouldn't we first find out where we're going?"

"What? Oh, yes, of course. Where were the fleets last reported, Andred?"

"They were reported leaving the Mares system, Doctor. I've kept the TARDIS computers linked with Agency reports coming in, so it should have their last reported position." Andred pushed a few buttons on one side of the hexagonal control console. The main scanner lids opened, revealing a tactical map showing the position of three massive fleets of starships to the left of the display.

"I don't remember that function being in the TARDIS computer."

"Oh, yes, Doctor. Granted it wasn't well developed in these old Type 40's, but still functional." Andred stopped as a fourth fleet appeared on the right of the tactical display. "Another fleet is moving in to meet the Devastator Fleet."

"Devastator Fleet?"

"Yes, m'lady. That's what the Agency has started calling the combined fleets."

"Why isn't the fourth fleet being identified?"

The Doctor was the one who responded, "Well, Andred SAID tactical wasn't well developed." ("He's back to his old self," thought Romana and Andred.)

"Well," the Doctor continued, "there's only one way to find out what's going on out there."

Only a curious squirrel was witness to a sight and sound that the planet had not experienced for too long ... the groaning and wheezing of the TARDIS dematerialization.

Shortly the TARDIS re-appeared in deep space, within scanner range of the four fleets, but far enough away to not get in the way. At the closer range the Doctor had no trouble identifying the fourth fleet as a fleet of Rutan spacecraft.

As the Rutans came within range of the Devastator Fleet the battle began. The three Time Lords watched in horror as the Rutan fleet was annihilated, with only minor damage sustained to a few Sontaran craft. During the battle the Doctor noted one ship of a unique design hanging behind the remainder of the Dalek saucers, the Cyber-fleet, and Sontaran battleships. "That must be the one responsible for all this," he surmised. "We must see what's going on there!"

Andred and Romana were ready to protest, but the Doctor was already in motion, programming the TARDIS.

Next time: Chapter III  
The Fleet Leader 

  
Story (c) 1986 Joe Sewell  
Melbourne, FL 

Doctor Who and related material (c) 1986 BBC England 


	3. The Fleet Leader

The Doctor's Return

Chapter III

The Fleet Leader 

The central column began its oscillations as the Doctor, reunited with his "old girl," piloted the well-used vehicle toward the flagship of the Devastator Fleet. Andred, the Gallifreyan who had once married the Doctor's "savage" companion Leela, watched in awe as his "uncle" maneuvered the controls of the TARDIS. The viewscreen showed them moving toward the curiously glistening starship at the head of the fleet which had defeated the galaxy's greatest warrior race and the Sontarans' eternal enemies.

"Obviously three space fleets controlled by three megalomaniac races like the Daleks, Cybermen, and Sontarans must be controlled at a central point. I'm willing to bet that central point is in that ship. Well, let's pay the old chap a visit, shall we?" The Doctor's two companions made no attempt to disguise their concern, neither did they attempt to voice their differing opinion; when the Doctor gets in one of his "Let's-do-it-shall-we?" moods, there would be no talking him out of it.

The viewer closed as the TARDIS made its final approach. Instead of the smooth transition into materialization on one of the decks of the flagship, however, the control room lurched as the TARDIS exterior entered "some sort of temporal turbulence. How curious." With no further words the Doctor's hands once again twisted a dial here, flipped a switch there, his eyes constantly scanning the console registers. Andred and Romana under normal circumstances were quite able to assist their friend and husband and planetary hero; a constant struggle to keep oneself from colliding with a control room wall, though, is far from being included in anyone's list of "normal circumstances." The Doctor, on the other hand, somehow managed to remain standing as he made the final adjustments that allowed the TARDIS to pass through the turbulence and materialize inside the flagship. The center column lurched, remained almost undecisively at the top of its cycle for a moment, then settled down to its resting place in the hexagonal main console. Warning lights in the column and around the console began to blink off as the TARDIS stabilized itself, even as its three passengers stabilized themselves.

"We've landed."

"Husband, your way with words when stating the obvious is as underwhelming as always."

Romana was helped up from the floor by Andred as the Doctor operated the main door control. The doors opened and the Doctor stepped outside the TARDIS. He was greeted by dim though ample lighting illuminating a long hallway. The low thrum of the flagship's propulsion systems could be heard, even felt, through the walls and floor. Andred and Romana stepped out of the blue police box as the Doctor brushed his fingers over one of the hallway's walls, muttering to himself how "vaguely familiar" the setting was. "Andred, you take that passage," the Doctor ordered, pointing to a corridor opening off the main hall, "and Romana and I will take this way."

Andred began his trek down his path. He mused at how naturally the Doctor still fit into adventure, and how ill at ease it made him. Even after Leela encouraged him to become involved with the Intervention Agency, the more active arm of Time Lord activity, even after he trained himself at the Academy, even after earning the title of Time Lord, even after avenging his slain wife, he still felt he would never become the bold vigilante of time and space that the Doctor had become. He paused for a moment, thinking about how easily his beloved Leela would fit into this situation ... he shook the thought out of his head. She was dead, killed at the hand of some unknown enemy, her body even taken away from him. No amount of tears, of pleading, of cursing whatever gods held sway in this universe, could bring her back. He steeled himself as he always had, letting his anger grow as he imagined beautiful Leela standing in front of him once again, her life being taken away by whatever lay at the end of the passageway he now carefully but determinedly strode through.

The young Time Lord finally came to the end of the hall, his continued passage blocked by a door. Trying to make as little noise as possible, he tried the latch; he wasn't surprised when it refused to turn. He took from a pocket a thick-barrelled instrument. Although the tool had been improved several times over since his older friend had lost his own to the Terileptils, Andred assumed that a sonic screwdriver was still more than a match for even the most stubborn lock. He held the silver implement near the door latch and activated it. It only took a few moments for the high-pitched sound waves to vibrate the lock into disengaging itself. He quickly pocketed the screwdriver, operated the latch, and carefully opened the door.

The room beyond the door was as dimly lit as the corridor he now left. Crouched low, Colonel Andred moved into the room. The room appeared empty, although the dim lighting could allow even the most massive of attackers to hide in the shadow of a corner. He stopped, silencing his lungs, intently listening to the room. The only sound he heard was the rhythm of his two hearts pounding blood into his temples. He slowly rose to a standing position, still alert to his surroundings. He began walking toward the end of the room opposite the door through which he entered. When he was but a few feet away from the wall he noticed the circular patterns embedded in it, just like ...

The thought was thrown from his mind as he spun on his heels. The door had quietly closed by itself. His mind raced through the possibilities. The breeze of air recirculation ... no, he could feel no air movement, hear no wind in the room. An automatic closure ... possible, he supposed, but there didn't seem to be enough resistance for that when he first opened it. Of course, there was always the possibility that someone else in the room closed it.

The sudden mechanical rasp behind him made him spin around and jump toward the door. When his eyes focused on the source of the noise, he beheld for the first time a Cyberman. He turned and ran for the door, but was stopped by another one, his hand closing painfully about his shoulder. Andred yelped at the pain. The first Cyberman raised his arm, prepared to end the Time Lord's most recent regeneration with the well-placed chop near the neck that Cybermen were notorious for. "Do not kill him," rang the voice inside their heads. "Bring him to me. You may render him unconscious, if you wish."

Andred saw the metallic arm raise again, then drop. After that, the lighting in the room seemed to dim all the more.

The corridor that the Doctor and his wife followed ended not in a dimly lit room hiding a Cyberman ambush. It instead terminated at the foot of stairs leading upward. The duo were about to begin their climb when a scream of pain drifted down the hall. Romana acted immediately, racing back down the way they had come. The Doctor shouted after her, but she quickly disappeared in the low light. He furrowed his brow, then stoically turned and began his climb.

The spritely Time Lady ran back to the intersection where she last saw Andred. Realizing the scream must have come from him, she turned and was about to continue her dash down the intersection when she heard something rolling toward her from the direction of the TARDIS. She bolted down the straight passageway, quickly looking back at the form of a Dalek coming after her, its voice grating the familiar, "Halt, or be ex-ter-mi-na-ted." Realizing she could never outrun the Dalek's blaster in the straight passage, she located a door located on one side and threw it open. The Dalek's blaster sizzled into the metal, but the barrier held.

The Dalek stopped at the door, aimed its blaster appendage at the charred section which took its first release, and fired again. The door was forced off its hinges and banged to a stop down the corridor. The Dalek moved into the open jamb, eye stalk scanning the infra-red light that illuminated the entire surroundings quite brightly, if one is equipped to detect infra-red. Like the other room which had housed the Cyber-ambush, this cubicle was empty, although small enough to allow no place to hide. Convinced that the intruder had somehow escaped, the Dalek backed out of the door jamb, turned, and proceeded down the corridor, passing another door, this one ever-so-slightly opened. From behind it, Romana peered out the tiny crack and watched the Dalek move away from her. She opened the door, stepped out of the room, and closed it again, prepared to go back the way she had come and catch up with the Doctor. She was greeted, upon closing the door, by another Dalek, its weapon levelled at her mid-section. "You are an in-tru-der," the mechanical voice droned. "Intruders must be ex-ter-mi-na-ted." Romana closed her eyes tightly, not wanting to watch her belly blasted away by the creature, when she heard from inside the machine, "Do not kill her. Bring her to me."

"You will come with me. Obey. Obey the Daleks"

"You haven't changed a bit, have you?" Romana realized humor was completely wasted on such an emotionless being as the Daleks had become, but she took only the slightest comfort at her light remark. Arms raised, she turned and walked down the corridor toward the Dalek she had tricked before.

The Doctor had waited at the top of the stairs, hoping he would hear two pairs of feet quickly climbing after him. Instead he heard the smooth tones of one he thought he could not be hearing. "Welcome, Doctor. I wondered when you would show up. Please, let my ... escort ... guide you to my command central." The Doctor turned to look down the stairs from which he heard footfalls. Those footfalls, though, were too heavy for either Romana or Andred. He knew even before he could fully see the owner of those feet the nature of the voice's "escort." He quietly stood as the Sontaran appeared at the top of the stairs, motioning him onward.

The Doctor was "led" ("pushed would be the better word," he later commented) deeper into the flagship, here and there climbing stairs. "Almost as convoluted as my TARDIS ... and no wonder," he thought as he noticed the same circular pattern his fellow Time Lord had noticed earlier. He was commanded to stop while the burly Sontaran moved ahead of him and opened the door. From the other side of the entrance the brighter light shone into the dimly lit passage he and the Sontaran had been travelling. He was pulled into the room by the escort and left there with the pilot of the ship.

After hearing the familiar voice the Doctor was hardly surprised to see the control room of his enemy's TARDIS. Standing at the other side of the central console was an equally familiar man. His appearance had changed, but the slight black beard and vile grin left no doubt in the Doctor's mind that, somehow, his oldest enemy had managed to find yet another body. "Getting into organizations now? Hardly your style," the Doctor quipped.

"I think you'll find many things are my 'style', Doctor," the Master replied. He moved toward his fellow Time Lord, his eyes staring into the Doctor's own. The Doctor felt the entrancing gaze as usual, but he couldn't help noticing something distinctly different about the Master's eyes, about his movements, almost as though he were.

"You haven't remarked on the brilliancy of my latest endeavor, old friend. You must admit, it takes quite a bit of skill and wisdom to bring together such warriors as I now command. You must admit, it takes quite a bit of greatness in strategem to enable my army to conquer their natural enemies. You must admit," continued the Master, his voice now lowered to an evil whisper, "it takes quite a bit of courage to plan an attack on Gallifrey itself"

"You're mad! You'd have to get through the force shields first. There is no possible way they'd let them down so your and your motley crew could just set down and take over!"

"Ah, but they would let them down for the hero of Gallifrey!"

"I would never let those shields down while you're in twelve parsecs of Gallifrey!"

"Ah, no, you wouldn't for me. You wouldn't for your own life. But the lives of your wife and friend?"

"You have no right!" fumed the Doctor.

"Rights, Doctor, are crutches for the weak. The strong man takes what he deserves!"

"Just like you tried to take Logopolis? You deserved to have the entire universe collapse into a mass of chaos around you?" The Doctor didn't expect such minor taunting to bother the Master. For some reason, however, he could see his enemy's fist clench tight.

"If it weren't for your foolish meddling, I would have had the galaxy in my pocket! But you stopped me. Oh, I cost you one of your precious regenerations, but you stopped me." The Master whipped his hand out of his pocket, revealing the shrinking gun which was his trademark. He took aim at the Doctor and moved his finger toward the trigger mechanism. He quickly stopped, his eyes going blank, as though he were receiving orders from somewhere. The Master stayed like that for several seconds, then calmly lowered the weapon. "There are better ways to deal with you, old man. Your friends are through that door." He indicated a second entrance to the control room.  
The Doctor opened the door, aware that the Master had once again raised his weapon and pointed it at the Doctor's back. "Enter, and see what awaits you," the renegade Time Lord sneered behind him.

Next time: Chapter IV

The Master's Secret 

Story (c) 1986 Joe Sewell  
Melbourne, FL 

Doctor Who and related material (c) 1986 BBC England 


	4. The Master's Secret

The Doctor's Return

Chapter IV  
The Master's Secret 

The Doctor entered the room, the Master behind him, his shrinking device aimed at his back. Inside the room a plastic bubble reclined on the wall, its side lined with various wires and tubes. The plastic was only slightly transparent, but it was clear to both Time Lords that Colonel Andred was inside, apparantly unharmed but unconscious.

The Master broke the tense silence. "It seems the Cybermen have gained a cruel streak from their meetings with you, old friend." That term made the Doctor cringe, since indeed his worst enemy was once a good friend. The Master continued. "It was fortunate for them that I was ... that I joined their cause. Behold, Doctor, a Time Lord's torture chamber." With this the Master moved toward a control console, his attention still on the Doctor, his arm still holding his weapon. The Master operated several controls, and the cocoon began to glow. The screams from inside told the Doctor that his friend had been given quite a rude awakening. Through the semi-transparent plastic the Doctor could almost make out the flashes of artificial lightning lashing out at the young Time Lord within.

The "demonstration" lasted for several minutes, at the end of which the Master deactivated the device. The cocoon became dark to the point that the Doctor could not see inside it. This situation was remedied when the Master threw a switch near one side of the cocoon. The bubble opened, revealing a man unconscious yet again. The Time Lord was no longer young, however. His clothes tattered and smoldering, they still looked like they no longer fit well. Indeed they didn't, for the body inside was of a much older man than the one who had summoned the Doctor and his wife out of their retirement to combat the combined forces of his three greatest enemies. Yet, it was Andred.

"Forced regeneration, Doctor," the Master interjected. "The machine is designed to precisely damage a Time Lord's body nearly to the point of death, at which time our own physiologies take over. Oh, it took quite an amount of computation to fine-tune it so it wouldn't kill instantly. I think, though, my two experiments with it have been quite successful."

"Two!" the Doctor said, hoping against hope he did not know who the other experiment was. His worst fears were confirmed, however, when the Master pointed to a screen behind the Doctor's back. The woman on the screen was also unconscious, but still apparantly alive. Her face and figure were rounder, fuller. Her hair was now a dark brown, shoulder length crown on her head, but the clothes were one of two indicators (the other being that unknown way Time Lords can recognize each other even after a regeneration has occurred) that the woman was Romana!

The Master approached behind the Doctor, his weapon still drawn, as though his arm had never moved. "Your darling wife came through her ordeal far better than your friend there, Doctor. I wonder how she will take another treatment?"

At this the Doctor spun around and landed a fierce chop on his adversary's gun hand. The sheer force of the Venusian Aikado move was enough to wrench the gun from his hand, but the Doctor noted that the arm was indeed made of tougher stuff than he anticipated. Grimacing with pain he nonetheless managed to stomp on the shrinking gun, breaking the internal workings into several unrepairable pieces. The Doctor turned, grabbed Andred's now frail body, and bolted from the room. The form of the Master moved as if to pursue him, but stopped short. He stood motionless for several seconds, then turned and walked back into the control room. He operated the scanner-on control. The only response was a dark screen with a slightly lighter shape in the foreground, followed by a rasping voice. "No, my servant. You are needed to lead our troops to Gallifrey." The screen blanked, and the Master directed his TARDIS toward his home planet. Almost as an afterthought he directed a group of Daleks on board to search for the two escaped prisoners.

The Doctor roamed the corridors of his enemy's TARDIS with the old man who was Andred. Several times Andred wanted to get his old friend to return to his TARDIS and let him, with still several regenerations left, continue the search for the third member of their party, but every time he saw that angry look in the Doctor's face, he quietly turned away and continued on as fast as his new body could carry him. Being an old man physically, Andred was forced to make frequent rest stops, and the Doctor stayed with him, ever anxious to find his beloved Time Lady. After the third rest stop in an hour, Andred was sent back to the Doctor's TARDIS while the Doctor continued on.

The Doctor cautiously strode through corridor after corridor, searching for the room he had memorized from the viewscreen, the room that held the regenerated body of his wife. Anger and despiration, though, many times override caution, as the Doctor was about to find out. He passed an intersecting hall and was about to continue on when he felt a metal hand pull him violently into the intersecting corridor. He was about to lash out with the Venusian martial art he had used frequently during his third incarnation when the metal arm pushed him against the side of the wall. In the darkness of the hall the passing Dalek patrol took no notice of the Time Lord nor his strange rescuer. The Doctor felt the arm taken away from his chest, and he turned to his rescuer, whispering, "You are rather friendly for a Cyberman, aren't you?" But the Cyber-rescuer was gone. After checking to ensure the Daleks had safely passed by, he continued his search, this time more attentive to any sound his ears could pick up.

The Master had finished his communique to the Supreme Dalek, the Cyber-Leader, and the Sontaran fleet commander insructing them of the invasion plans. He then set his TARDIS in motion, making sure not to dematerialize so that his troops could follow. This done, he glanced at a chronometer on the console. "Time to recharge again. Blast this body." Operating a lever on the console, a section of the control room wall slid away, revealing a room with a strange table at its center and electrical generators around the walls. The Master turned a switch near the foot of the table, sat down on the table, and reclined. When he had fully laid down the machinery surrounding the table began to hum. His body was bathed in a slight glow.

The Master slept. As he slept, he dreamt. He dreamt of his early life on Gallifrey, of the fun he and his best friend used to have, of the mischief he would cause, many times with his friend's help. In his dream time passed quickly. He saw himself change. He grew a goatee, which spread into a slight beard, pointed almost demonically at its end. He saw his friend change, too. He was soon dressed very formally, almost like a dandy. His hair was fluffy and white. He had become the Doctor, his worst enemy. This was the Doctor and the Master as they had first met after both had left Gallifrey. Time continued to pass in this vision, and the Master envisioned himself in the shell of a body that was his last incarnation, the end of his dozen regenerations. He saw himself merge with Tremas of Traken, stealing his body, usurping his will. Then he saw the end of that body as well. He experienced once again the pain caused by the reawakening of Tremas' psyche within their shared body, desperately trying to free itself from the Master's grip. Despite the Master's once-indominable will, Tremas reversed the merging, and the two separated. Tremas, an ancient man himself, died instantly. The Master had been returned to the burnt-out husk of himself that he had been when he first attempted to take over Traken. He saw himself retreat to his TARDIS, desperately searching for the key that would allow him continued existence.

In his slumber he imagined the mysterious one. He saw his unknown benefactor cloaked as himself, in black, for that is how he had always seen him. The being lifted the dying shell of the Time Lord and carried him off. The Master once again experienced his first glimmer of consciousness after the ordeal. He could feel that the body he was now inside was more powerful than he could have ever imagined. He heard the voice inside his head, demanding subservience for the price of the new body. He felt again the pain the other inflicted when he arrogantly refused, and he again felt the relief when the pain stopped with his vow of loyalty. His dream showed him the surroundings of his salvation ... a room filled with the best Cyber-technology, Sontaran cloning equipment, and Dalek machinery which once turned humans into Daleks, modified to implant the soul of a Time Lord into a hybrid body, a cross between Cyberman and cloned Gallifreyan.

As the Doctor searched for Romana, Andred took up another search ... the search for the familiar police box that brought the trio to the Master's TARDIS. After shuffling down a flight of stairs he was able to dimly recognize the corridor he now entered. He could just barely remember that this was the way to the TARDIS. He froze in his tracks as a Cyberman appeared in front of him. Realizing that his now aged body had no hope of overcoming such a creature, his first thought was to attempt to flee. He whirled to see the Dalek search party approaching. Looking frantically, the newly regenerated Time Lord realized there was no escape. He turned back toward the Cyberman and noticed it frantically motioning toward him. Andred cautiously approached the silvery figure, which quickly seized his hand in a cold grip, firm but deceptively gentle for a Cyberman, and dragged him down the corridor. Andred felt himself quickly tiring, but gave one final burst of speed when he saw the blue shape in front of him. The Cyberman produced an oddly-shaped key, fitted it into the door lock and turned. The TARDIS doors opened, and the two figures raced inside. The doors closed just as the Dalek patrol came into view.

Inside the more pleasant control room Andred could just stop and stare at the metallic man. Surely Cybermen wouldn't spare a Time Lord. Then he noticed that the creature was a bit shorter than he had imagined his kind to be. His doubts that this was indeed a Cyberman were confirmed when two hands lifted a fake Cyber-mask from the head of a young woman. She placed the helmet on top of the stationary central column and looked about in wonderment. Andred could just barely hear her ask herself where the scanner was. Obligingly the Time Lord moved toward the control and activated the viewscreen. The two witnessed the Daleks move past the police box and continue their search down the corridor. They both stood there, realizing how lucky they had been to reach the safety of the TARDIS. Andred noticed that the woman couldn't have been older than her early 20's. Her reddish-brown hair flowed freely down the back of the Cyberman shell she wore. Her eyes shown both the curiosity of a little girl and an intelligence that would rival his own, indeed perhaps even the Doctor. Without a word she gathered her flowing hair up and fitted the helmet about her head again. After making sure it was secure she went to the TARDIS doors and attempted to open them. Realizing that they would not open by pushing at them, she turned once again to the aging Andred, who opened the doors for her. The erstaz Cyberwoman walked out of the TARDIS and down the corridor from which they had come earlier.

The Master awoke, refreshed, from his recharge/sleep to the sound of failure from his Dalek patrol. "Dalek commander reporting. The Doctor and his com-panions have not been located."

"Well FIND THEM!" the Master roared. He turned off the communications channel just as the pain inside his head began again, only this time it wasn't a dream. The voice inside his head seemed to echo inside his organic-metal skull.

"YOU HAVE FAILED ME AGAIN, SERVANT!" The Master winced in pain at the volume and tone of the voice. The voice grew softer, but perhaps even more firm. "You were supposed to be my second in command, my figurehead leader, so I would not have to enter the frey myself. Useless, bumbling fool!" The Master began to defend himself, trying to keep his anger down, when the voice continued on. "Go to the cell housing the woman Time Lord and lock yourself in with her. I am taking charge personally." The Master tried feebly to resist the command, but felt his manufactured body respond almost against his will. Realizing he could not fight it, he walked out of the control room, headed for the cell now occupied by Romana. As he left the room, the controls began moving of their own accord, almost as if an invisible hand operated them.

Next Time

Chapter V

"Who is the Commander"

Story (c) 1986 Joe Sewell  
Melbourne, FL 

Doctor Who and related material (c) 1986 BBC England 


	5. Who Is The Commander

The Doctor's Return

Chapter V

  


"Who is the Commander"

The young woman opened her eyes as she heard her the key turn in her cell's door lock. Her first instinct was to try to ambush whoever this was, but she hesitated, not knowing whether it was her beloved or her friend from Gallifrey. She sat on her simple bunk as the door opened to reveal the Master. She felt a twinge of fear, but she solidly stood her ground; she had now recovered from his torture that forced her body to regenerate, but the sight of her husband's mortal enemy could still make her flinch. She fully expected to be led back to the torture device. Instead, her captor dropped the key outside the door, walked mechanically into the cell, and closed the door behind him. He moved to one corner of the cell, turned to face Romana, and finally stood motionless. She cautiously arose and moved toward the imposing man in black. When she had convinced herself that he, for some unknown reason, meant no menace to her, she moved closer and noticed the glaze that covered his eyes. Further inspection convinced her that this was a mechanical form, not the human or Gallifreyan make-up she had expected.

Despite the deactivation of his Cyber-created skelton, he was still able to use the vocal chords cloned by Sontaran technology to speak, albeit strained. "help me" he croaked. Romana gave a start at the sudden sign of life, then looked at the Master in astonishment. "I need your help, wife of my enemy. All of us face the same foe now." He realized it would be difficult to convince this Time Lady, who knew his personal history up to his last encounter with the Doctor, that his thirst for vengence against his leader overrode even his bitterness against the Doctor. He began to explain to her the entire story, already recounted herein, of the source of his latest body, and the hold the mysterious fleet commander has on him. He ended the tale with one final plea. "I know where the circuit is that lets him know what I am doing, what I am thinking. You must destroy it. You MUST!"

Cautious, but partially convinced that the Master finally told the truth, Romana asked where the control circuit was located. "At the base of my skull." At this Romana hesitated. They both realized that one mistake in that area could kill him; for all she knew the area was booby-trapped, making the danger to her as great as to him. She was also not fully sure that this was not some new trap he had in mind for the Doctor. "You have no reason to believe me, Romana, but I swear I tell you the truth. You must disable the circuit ... at all costs."

Something in his voice finally convinced her. She put her hand in a pocket and extracted the sonic screwdriver she had constructed long ago from the plans of the Doctor's own long-lost tool. She adjusted it carefully, applied the tip to the top of the Master's neck, and activated the device. The screwdriver's whirring was the only sound heard in the cell for several seconds. Romana carefully watched the Master's body, ready to stop the operation if she noticed any adverse reactions. The expected reaction came as the Master screamed out in pain, his hands clutching his head. Instantly she turned the tool off, and the Master's body dropped limply to the floor.

Somewhere else, a glowing indicator faded. The hooded, black-draped figure turned his head toward the indicator. "The signal from my servant has stopped. Hmm. Well, I had no further need of him." He turned back to his work.

Andred emerged from the lower levels of the Doctor's TARDIS. Clean-cut, hair combed back, he looked at least a little more presentable. Feeling the sag in his back, though, he realized that he was still physically an old man. He turned toward the scanner, still set to circle the perimeter of the outer shell of the TARDIS. There was no sign of the Daleks returning to the scene, for which he was thankful. He also regretfully noticed, though, that there wano sign of either the Doctor, Romana, or the woman who had befriended him.  
As the scanner continued its sweep, Andred noticed something glimmer around one corner. He set the scanner to move back to the spot where he saw the reflection, and stopped its motion there. The corridor was empty. No, there was something coming down it ... a troop of Sontarans. He had seen holograms of them before, but that did not prepare him for the sight of their unhelmeted faces. He knew that Sontarans were cloned from a gene bank, and that they all were virtually alike. These, however, varied not only in height, but in facial appearance as well. Many of them had deformed noses, some of them had only one good ear, a few of them had no mouths. Before he could ponder on this further, the troop circled around the TARDIS exterior. They firmly grasped the sides of the police box and lifted with all their might. Andred was tossed about, trying desperately not to hit his head. As often as he could he checked the scanner, to find that the Sontarans were carrying the TARDIS away from its landing place and down the corridor.

Romana bent down and turned the limp body of the Master over, looking for any signs of life. His eyes opened, and his hands went for her neck, then her shoulders. She then saw something that no Time Lord could ever imagine: a kind smile from the Master! "Thank you, dear lady." Slowly the Master turned and arose from the floor. He moved slowly, testing his arms and legs. "No damage ... except for that accursed leash." He turned toward his lovely cell-mate, still holding the sonic screwdriver, and inquired if she could attempt to open the cell door with it.

"I tried that already, just before you came in. No luck. The lock's vibration-proof."

"As I recall, your husband once turned his sonic screwdriver into an electro-magnet. If we could do that with your own, we might be able to draw the key under the door."

Romana went to the door and stooped down, inspecting the crack below the door. "I don't think we need to be that fancy about it." She produced a barrette from another pocket, opened it, and worked one end through the crack. After only a few tries she had managed to snag the mat on which she had noticed earlier the key had dropped. Carefully she drew the mat under the door. To her dismay, however, the mat just fit in the crack; if she continued to drag it into the cell, the key would be pushed off by the door.

Inside the Doctor's TARDIS Andred suddenly found that the floor had become a bit more stable. He noticed that the scanner showed the TARDIS descending in front of a large door in a wall. He recognized it as a standard "freight elevator" of sorts, installed in many time vehicles to allow heavy equipment to be moved from level to level. Taking advantage of this temporary respite, Andred arose and moved to the control console. After making minor tests to ensure that all systems were still functional, he programmed a small escape course into the computer. His hand activated the dematerialization sequence just as the floor pitched again, throwing Andred violently against the coat rack the Doctor had placed in one corner so long ago. He lapsed into unconsciousness as the center column began to rise and fall.

"Keep bringing it in, but carefully. I have an idea." the Master instructed. Unsure of what he was planning, Romana nonetheless continued to reel her catch in. As the edge of the mat came through the door she could hear the key drop onto the floor, just outside the door. She tried to snag it with the barrette, but it lay just out of her reach. Meanwhile the Master was busy uncurling a support wire from the mat. "This should be more effective." Romana moved out of his way, as he lay down on the floor, spying through the crack the elusive key. The wire brushed the key, but didn't catch. The Master was about to make a second attempt when the edge of a silver foot appeared near the key. A metallic hand reached down and picked up the key. They both got up and moved toward the back of the cell, anticipating the worst. They heard the key turn in the lock, but the door only opened slightly. Carefully the Master opened it further, but there was no resistance from the other side. He completed the motion and peered out the portal, only to see a vacated corridor of his TARDIS. He waved Romana to follow him.

The Doctor, his anger over what his old enemy had done to his wife finally cooling, had returned to the control room, hoping there to find a clue to where she was being held. He scanned the console, noticing that the TARDIS had been programmed to journey to Gallifrey. He turned to the scanner, which was directed aft of the Master's vessel; it displayed the massive fleets of the three races the Master had somehow brought together. He turned back to the console and began manipulating the controls. He noted that the TARDIS was travelling through normal space, probably to keep in view of the fleets, the Doctor thought. Completing his task, he dematerialized the Master's TARDIS. He regretfully noted that he had not been able to veer from the programmed course, though; they were still moving toward Gallifrey, but, he hoped, the Daleks and Cybermen would not be able to find it. He grimaced at what he thought next: the Sontarans had once invaded Gallifrey. They could still lead their allies to the planet of the Time Lords. His train of thought was interrupted when a Cyberleader appeared in the doorway. The Doctor whirled, only to see another Cyberman standing in the door leading to the torture chamber.

The Cyberleader raised his arm. "The commander orders this one to be brought to him. You will take him." The other Cyberman nodded silently, then took the Doctor's arm. He noted that the grip didn't feel as bone-crushingly firm as he had had feared. He began to struggle out of the grasp, but was reprimanded by a female voice coming from the Cyberman. "It will be better for you to come on," it whispered. The Doctor ceased his struggling, and the two departed through the door. The Cyberleader stood firm until the door had closed, then turned and left the control room the way he had come.

The Doctor and his escort had gone through the Master's "chamber of horrors" when the "Cyberman" released her grip on the Doctor. "You're the one who saved me from the Dalek patrol, aren't you?"

"Yes," the woman replied as they continued their journey, "and I helped your friends as well. The inside of your TARDIS is fascinating!"

"How did you know what it was?"

"I can't go into it just now. You must help me. I think you're the only one who can make the commander of this operation see any sense."

"Who is this commander?"

"You'll find out shortly."

The duo had reached the end of the corridor. Behind it the Doctor's enhanced hearing detected a high-pitched whining fading out. He didn't need enhanced hearing, though, to hear the voice boom out it's command, "Enter." With that the door opened.

The Doctor stared in shock. The room was basically empty, except for the structure in the center. It was the structure that so amazed the Doctor. There, standing in the center of the room, was a blue police box! Not just any police box, though ... it had the feel of being dimensionally transendental. The Doctor continued to visually inspect it as his escort led him toward its door. It was familiar, almost too familiar. It was exactly the shape his own TARDIS had taken when he and his granddaughter first landed on Earth, in the twentieth century. Just before the two had reached the structure its door opened. The two entered. The inside was indeed larger than the outside, but on a much smaller scale than the TARDIS itself. Wires hung freely from various points, and the Doctor and his escort frequently had to duck under them. To one side stood a lever which moved a large button in the floor. The Doctor made mental notes of each piece of equipment, also noting along the way that it all appeared to be Earth technology, much of it heavily modified, but still undoubtedly Terran. He noted the almost primative-looking scanner hanging at the far end of the room, pieces of oscilloscopes sitting on shelves suspended apparantly from the ceiling, tubes, controls, and switches all connected by the rat's nest of wires, and the familiar fluid links on a panel to one side of the lever.

Near one set of equipment, the black-robed figure stood bent over, its back to the pair. Upon sensing their presence, it stood up (though still not too straight), turned, and acknowledged their presence. "Greetings. I've waited a long time to meet you."

The Doctor dared to speak to this mysterious figure. "Who are you?  
"Why, yes I am. How very observant of you." This response simultaneously frustrated and puzzled the Doctor. The figure raised his arms and pulled back the hood that hid his features. Under the hood was a long face. The hair was short but frizzy and snow-white. The moustache under the prominent nose showed its rapid approach to the glaring whitness the top of his head had already entered, but there was enough black still there to make it stand out from the otherwise pale face. He dropped the cloak, revealing a formal smoking jacket, simple but well-kept shirt, and large bow-tie, most of which was stuffed inside the shirt. For a moment the Doctor could see himself, as he was before his first regeneration, standing there with this foreboding but slightly humorous figure. The aged but firm voice continued. "For years I've wanted to meet a Time Lord ... ever since I built Tardis. Since I learned about you, I've hoped that it would be you I would meet first."

The Doctor hoped what he was thinking wasn't true, yet he dared to ask, "What is your name?"

"Oh, of course it isn't," the gentleman replied. "How quickly you forget things. No, no, it isn't what ... it's Who. Doctor Who!"

Next Time:  
Chapter VI  
"Return of the Doctor"

Story (c) 1986 Joe Sewell  
Melbourne, FL 

Doctor Who and related material (c) 1986 BBC  
England 


	6. Return of the Doctor

The Doctor's Return

Chapter VI

  


"Return of the Doctor"

Romana and the Master raced down the corridor, their destination being the Doctor's TARDIS. They reached the landing point, but the familiar blue police box was nowhere to be seen.

"Where could it have gone?"

"My control room may have picked up its departure." With that the Master turned and ran down the corridor, the Time Lady following.  
Meanwhile, in another dimensionally transcendental police box, the Doctor, the fake Cyberman at his side, stood facing ... could he bring himself to admit it ... himself? As if sensing the unasked question, the white-haired figure gave his reply. "Oh, of course I'm not you ... well, not in the real sense." With this he began relating how he and his granddaughters Barbara and Susan had created "Tardis," coincidentally the exact same acronym that the Doctor's own granddaughter had coined shortly after their flight from Gallifrey in a half-working time capsule. Doctor Who related how his soon-to-be son-in-law Ian Chesterton (the Doctor stood in awe at the similarities between the two men) accidentally propelled them on their historic meeting with the Daleks. The Doctor mentally constructed the frightening picture painted by his Terran counterpart; the similarities were astounding, but there were a few interesting differences as well.

Doctor Who concluded his account of his first meeting with the Daleks, which had paralled the Time Lord's own meeting with his "crew". "When we tried getting back from the Daleks' planet, well, apparantly Mr. Chesterton had botched things up far worse than I had anticipated. We hopped from the time of Christ to the end of time itself." As Doctor Who continued on, the Doctor noticed a note of bitterness creep in to the narrative, slowly festering like an infected wound. "Oh, we finally found our way back to Earth, only to be thrown into the fray again, this time in Earth's twenty-second century. We barely survived that time. Once again, though, we found it difficult to return to our own time. I set the controls for lateral movement, hoping that, somehow, that could jar Tardis into working properly. There was a violent jolt, and we had indeed moved laterally. Something else had happened, though. A young girl calling herself Susan met us as we opened the door. Come to find out she thought we were you."

By this time the Doctor, with his greater knowledge of the universe, had realized what had actually happened. A parallel universe of some sort must exist, he thought. Not a completely unknown phenomenon, just look at E-space, but this was slightly different from the negative-coordinate version of normal, or "N", space. Apparantly this "Doctor Who" fellow had caused that "lateral movement" at precisely the same point in space ("his space") and time as he himself had dematerialized from Earth, leaving his own granddaughter behind to make a place for herself on their adopted planet. The departure of a TARDIS always left a "hole" in time and space at the point where it enters the time vortex. If Doctor Who had forced a lateral movement at exactly the same time and place as that ... yes, considering the methodology used in this other time vehicle, it could indeed cause a break-through in the fabric between dimensions.

"Ah, yes, Susan ... how was she when you..."

"SILENCE!" the aged voice bellowed. "It was thanks to your precious granddaughter that my own Susan was lost to me forever!"

* * *

Romana and the Master carefully made their way back to his control room, noticing (thankfully) that their way remained unhindered. They rounded the final corner, the Master in the lead, when the Time Lady found herself being pushed back forcefully. Exclaiming in pain, her temper began to flare when the Master raised a finger to his artificial lips. "I should have known it wouldn't be as easy as we hoped." Romana carefully peeked around the corner to see a Dalek standing guard at the control room entrance. She noticed that this Dalek wasn't exactly the same as the ones she remembered encountering with the Doctor shortly after her first regeneration. This one had larger heat discharge units on its "head", and a much wider motion base than the others. "One that the Commander managed to scare up somewhere. I've never seen that exact type myself." Slowly the duo moved back. "Our only other possibility is to confront the Commander himself." The Master, without waiting for his companion's approval, passed in front of her and began retracing their steps down the corridor.

* * *

"I pursued you, Doctor," the elderly Earth scientist continued, "hoping against hope that I could catch you and make you pay for what you did. I traced you leaving your home planet. I followed, but your vehicle disappeared from my scanners. I back-traced your path, and found landing on Gallifrey rather easy. I demanded to know how to stop you, but they all seemed to hold some sort of respect for you ... said you had just become their President, or some such nonsense. I took a hostage, a young woman who liked to wear a leather outfit and had a knack for weilding a knife. Pretty thing, but of no use to me. I finally found your old enemy, and managed to help him ... for a price. With his help I will exact my vengence on your race. You'll pay for the loss of my dear, dear Susan..." With this he lapsed for a second into a solemn moment; when it had passed, his face revealed the same pixie-ish sparkle, laced with malice toward his counterpart.

"But I know my granddaughter, Who. She would never let any harm come to anyone, not if she could help it."

"You are WRONG!" trembled the old voice. "My little Susan went off with your granddaughter, and I never saw her again. I had to leave ... I was told the Daleks were returning, and they didn't want me around. When I returned, no one had ever heard of my darling Susan. They had, though, heard of your treacherous granddaughter, and how she had disappeared only recently. It was obvious that she took my Susan away with her, to some dark corner of Gallifrey, no doubt, to rob from her my time travel secrets!"

The Doctor was about to explain that the Time Lords already had all the time travel secrets they felt they needed, when a feminine voice came from the "Cyberman" at the Doctor's side. "No, that's not how it happened." The Doctor was only slightly surprised that his mysterious benefactor would reveal herself at that time, but his Terran alter-ego dropped his jaw. "I know that voice." The woman removed her makeshift Cyberman disguise.

"Susan?"

* * *

Romana and the Master came to the corridor at the end of which lay the guarded door of the renegade Time Lord's former master. "Do we have to go in there?" the Time Lady asked, knowing in advance the answer. They had both traced the TARDIS to the room, after it had been moved somehow to a freight elevator.

"Come along, hostage," the Master bellowed. Astonished, Romana let herself be ferociously grabbed by the Master and be dragged toward the guarded door. What a fool I have been, she thought, to believe him. The duo approached the Cyber-guards. "The Commander wishes to interrogate her." One of the guards pushed a button near the door, and the portal opened to admit the two. The Master pushed the Time Lady through the open door and calmly walked after her, allowing the Cyberman to seal the door as it had been before. Romana picked herself up from the floor, her eyes blazing with anger, when the Master smiled, then looked worried. "Please forgive me, dear lady," the once-malevolent voice told her. "I had to make it appear to those Cybermen that I was still under his control. As I had hoped, they hadn't been informed of my ... dismissal." Romana, however, had turned toward the center of the room, and she now stood amazed at the sight which greeted them. The room contained not the single blue police box they had seeked, but TWO police boxes, one slightly newer and in better condition than the other on its right. Moving toward the newer of the two vehicles, she tried to open the door, to no avail. The Master restrained her arm, motioning her to keep silent, and bent over, ear pressed on the door.

"Susan? My goodness, child, you've grown up." (the Master recognized this as the voice of the "Commander)

The woman, her Cyberman disguise now removed, revealing an attractive woman dressed in twenty-second century work coveralls, embraced her grandfather. "Oh, grandfather, I was so worried about you."

"I thought you dead ... or taken hostage. What happened, child?"

Susan began her narrative at the time she and "Mrs. Campbell," who she later found out was her own counterpart in this time-stream, had gone off to talk. She was resting when the rag-tag community located, using equipment re-built and improved thanks to Susan Campbell's knowledge from Gallifrey, a Dalek ship entering the solar system. Susan Who alone was involved in the tracking when she was knocked unconscious from debris falling in from the unrepaired ceiling. Susan Campbell had little trouble convincing the people that Doctor Who should leave the place, fully realizing that these Daleks were far different from the ones he had encountered. It was after he had left and the Dalek cruiser ousted that they discovered that his granddaughter was still alive. The two Susans spent many months together, both as friends and as partners, helping Earth rebuild itself. They also collaberated in building a new travel device which they hoped Susan Who, now a teenager, could use to find her grandfather. They had only enough success with the extra equipment they could piece together to build a single-use transmat beam. They were about to test it when a black object appeared in the sky above them. The Susans split up, and Susan Who noticed that it went for her friend. She later found out that it was the business end of a Gallifreyan "time scoop", which a President seeking immortality used to capture her grandfather and four of his later incarnations to play "the game of Rassilon." She had also discoverd at that time that her grandfather had come back for her, after 10 years her time, but refused to listen to anyone after he was told of Susan Campbell's disappearance. Susan Who then decided to use the transmat beam, locating what she thought to be her grandfather's "Tardis," and beam herself aboard it. To her shock, she found herself aboard the Master's TARDIS. She learned of the strange "Commander" who wanted to wreak havoc on the universe, and recognized his voice as that of her grandfather. Since then she had been trying to find a way to somehow help her grandfather get over his apparant insanity.

"My dear granddaughter," Doctor Who sobbed, "I've been a fool." He turned toward his Gallifreyan counterpart and offered his right hand. "My dear fellow, I'm terribly sorry for what I've caused." They all stopped when a soft thump came from the door. Doctor Who went to the door and opened it to find the Master aiming his Tissue Compression Eliminator at the door. "I swear you'll pay for what you've done to me," the Master hissed. From behind Doctor Who, the Doctor watched, horrified. "Romana, stop him!" The Master halted, shocked.

Explanations were made, and the Master's anger sated. The Doctor listened in surprise at his arch-enemy's turn of character, and firmly shook his hand. "Well, old fellow, I hope this means we can work together now."

"Not quite, old friend," came the reply. The Doctor mentally noted that, this time, he didn't mind the term. "I still have one more thing to do ... lead the fleets away from Gallifrey." Not giving anyone a chance to respond, the Master raced out of the room, quickly sealing the door behind him. The four stood looking at each other until they felt the floor shudder beneath them.

"He's rematerializing," the Doctor commented. Another rumble came from the walls, and this time it was Romana who provided the explanation. "He's changing course. But where?"

"I'm afraid I know. Come on." The Doctor motioned all four toward the more battered of the two police boxes. Snatching his key from a pocket, he opened the door and admitted his three friends. The Doctor quickly moved toward the center console as the two Earth travellers looked around in amazement, quietly muttering to themselves about certain design changes they would have to incorporate. Both were entranced by the center console, around which the Doctor and Romana were busily moving, adjusting knobs here, reading readouts there. The Doctor's announcement was enough to squelch even his Earth alter-ego's boyish curiosity.

"He's heading for a black hole. We'll hit in about 20 minutes. We've got to get out of here!"

"Wait," came the other Doctor's voice. "While I was ... well, slightly disturbed ... I captured the one female on your home planet. She's still prisoner here."

"Leela!" the Doctor muttered. "Susan, you'll have to find her. I need Romana and your grandfather here to prepare our escape."

"She'll need some help, Doctor." The masculine voice came not from Doctor Who, but from a young man at the second door to the control room. It was Andred, now looking as young and healthy as he had when he first came to enlist his old friend's assistence. "The regeneration wasn't completely stable. With a little rest and concentration, I was able to force it back to this." The Doctor and Romana nodded their approval as Andred continued. "If my wife is still alive, Doctor, I'll find her."

"Good, my boy," Doctor Who said. "Susan, go with him and help him. Now, where did I put her?"

"I know, grandfather." With that, Susan and Andred left as the Doctor began explaining what they would have to do.

Susan and Andred stealthily made their way to the room where Leela was held. They noticed that there were no signs of any life. "Must've been recalled to their ships," Andred remarked. They reached the room, but the door was locked, as expected. The young Time Lord pulled out a small box from his tunic. "Not exactly a sonic screwdriver, but it should do the trick." He noticed the young girl's puzzled expression, and responded with, "it's a universal key to all locks in just about all known capsules." Assuming no further explanation was needed, he turned to his task. In moments the door was unlocked and open. Andred rushed in and saw a woman lying on a cot. Her long black tresses were streaked slightly with grey, and the skins she wore were slightly soiled and worn, but Andred recognized her immediately. "Leela!"

At the sound of his voice the woman awoke and turned toward the door. Her face brightened with a wide smile as she rose to meet the outstretched arms of her husband. Susan Who descreetly kept out of the reunion at the start, but realized she had to intervene. "I'm sure both of you are happy to be together again, but we've got to get back to the Doctor. It didn't sound like we had much time to get out of here."

"We don't have much time to get out of here," the Doctor said to Romana and Doctor Who. "They better be back soon, or we'll all be trapped here."

The trio sped down the corridor, moving as quickly as they dared toward the room which held the two vehicles that would save them from life imprisionment in the realm beyond the black hole. Suddenly Leela stopped, Andred and Susan plowing into her from behind. "Sh," she warned her two rescuers. "Something's up there." With that she darted into a nearby alcove as a Sontaran warrior appeared in the corridor, hand weapon raised to cover the two left in the corridor.

"Ah, two more prisoners for the Master," the voice within the helmet hissed. "You will turn and move down the corridor slowly." Susan and Andred turned and walked down the hall, their hands raised above their heads. As their captor passed the alcove which hid her, Leela leaped from her crouch, her knife aimed directly at the probic vent at the base of the Sontaran's nape (or what passed for his nape). The Sontaran howled in pain, then collapsed on the floor, lifeless.

"Good thing I remember a few things from before." Leela commented. Andred smiled at the remark, then led the two women onward toward the end of the hall, at the end of which was the room which held the two police-box shaped time vehicles.

Their entrance was met with relieved sighs, hasty introductions, and generous hugs all around. It was the Doctor who broke the celebrative mood. "We can say our hellos later. Right now we've got to get out of here."

"Give us the coordinates, my boy, and we'll follow you in our Tardis." The Doctor quickly rattled off the standard binary coordinates, which Susan began translating into settings her grandfather could use. They were out of the Doctor's TARDIS and about to open the door of their own craft when they heard the groaning sound of a Gallifreyan time capsule dematerializing. "Poor man, it sounds like it's in bad shape." They both entered the remaining police box. After a few short minutes the thrumming whine of the Earth-created "Tardis" echoed through the room, and it too disappeared.

EPILOGUE

The fertile pastureland lay untouched. The animals that once grazed there had gone on to other places, and all that was left were grasses brushed lightly by breezes wafting across the plain. The perfect waves of green were disturbed by the appearance of two indentations, accompanied by a chorus of wheezings, groanings, and whinings. Soon the indentations were replaced by two blue shapes, similar but not identical. The door to the newer of the two boxes opened, and an elderly gentleman and his granddaughter walked out, turned, and knocked on the door of their companions' box. That door opened to admit the two.

All eyes watched the long-range scanner the Doctor had trained on the vehicle from which they had recently escaped. Behind it the combined fleets of three of the Doctor's fiercest enemies moved in its wake. They watched as the black hole swallowed first the Master's TARDIS, then the fleets, trapped as they were by the immense gravity of the collapsed star.

"Do you think he got away?" Doctor Who asked all assembled.

"I doubt it. The TARDIS doesn't pick up a time trace leaving the area," the Doctor said quietly. "Of course, I suppose he could have dematerialized, and the black hole simply swallowed the time trace." It didn't sound too convincing to himself, let alone the other five. The room was silent for several moments when the Doctor said something that surprised his wife, fellow Time Lord, and he himself. "I'm going to miss him."

"Well, we must be going," Doctor Who announced through the saddened atmosphere. "I suppose we should try to find our way back to our own universe. Then again, there's so much to explore here." Susan turned to him, then smiled a smile that communicated both the love of a mature woman for her grandfather, and the child-like mischeviousness neither of them would probably ever lose. The six walked together out the TARDIS door, and the three Time Lords and the one Sevateem woman saw the "other" Doctor and Susan off, the high-pitched thrumming of the Earth-created Tardis once again disturbing the otherwise peaceful plain. The quartet turned and walked back in their own TARDIS. The quiet was shattered a final time by the familiar clap-trap of the police box dematerializing.

"I've set the cooridinates for Earth, Andred. You can let us off there, then take the old girl back where she belongs."

"I've been thinking about that, Doctor," Andred replied. "I'm sure the High Council won't mind it if you kept it for your own use."

"No, no ... we've been through that before. We've retired, remember?"

The center column slowed its up-and-down motion, then finally settled in its compartment in the center of the hexagonal console. The Doctor opened the doors and reached to shake Andred's hand. Instead Andred asked, "you two wouldn't mind if we visited with you a while, would you? I think we both could do with a little vacation." The Doctor's reply came from his mouth, but not in words; the broad smile and eager look gave him all the assent he needed.

The quartet walked out onto what they expected to be the green grass of Earth, but were met instead by ashen soil, petrified trees, and a gloom that was unknown on Earth, even in places with high-density smog.

Romana was the first to venture a guess as to their location. "We're on Skaro, Doctor."

"So we are, so we are. The old girl is as steerable as ever, I see." Resigned to the notion that their retirement and vacation were on indefinite hold, the four began their exploration, wondering when (none of them ever considered "if" ... it was inevitable) they would meet up with the natives of the planet.

Story (c) 1986 Joe Sewell  
Melbourne, FL 

Doctor Who and related material (c) 1986 BBC  
England 


End file.
